Patients at Fort Worth, Texas-based JPS Health Network are facing lasting consequences from a network outage that stretched nearly two weeks, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
JPS Health Network operated under a “controlled network downtime” starting Aug. 3 after detecting suspicious activity in its technology environment. The hospital, clinics and other locations stayed open, but online services and phone lines were affected, forcing doctors, nurses and other staff to rely on manual procedures.
JPS’s core network was restored Aug. 14, and the public safety-net system said patients should have been able to log into MyChart again by Aug. 16.
Some social media users reported continued trouble accessing online charts after JPS said access was restored, according to the Aug. 24 Star-Telegram story. Two patients described billing and prescription refill problems that persisted into the weeks after the outage, with one still unable to fill 12 medications and facing a choice between paying full price or going without, and another receiving only a partial, 30-day refill due to pharmacy shortages.
JPS confirmed to Becker’s that it has brought its core EHR system, including MyChart, back online, and that emergency services for stroke, trauma and serious heart attack patients have resumed. “We worked diligently to ensure the continuity of patient care,” a JPS spokesperson said in a statement to Becker’s.
The health system did not directly address the prescription refill and billing issues described to the Star-Telegram, but said patients seeking assistance can contact its patient relations team at 817-702-1333.
